St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-07-28
THE BABE AND THE MILK.
Nam York Times.


"My story" said the New York man
"isn't a bit funny. Maybe some of you
know Hiram B. Stebbins He's in
feathers, artificial flowers, ladies' no.
tons, hat trimmings and such. They
do say that when he was young, he
was real nice fellow, but bOthering
with men milliners and women in the
bonnet business, and trying to keep
abreast of the fashions, sOured nat
urally good temper. Well, Hiram b.
Stebbins is not a bit sociable, and a
sort of chap to let alone. Never I'M
derstOOd a joke in his life.
eve often crossed one another on
the road, but after saying 'How dye
that's all the words we exchanged. A
year ago l met him going west from
Dubuque on scalding hot day in July;
thermometer away up in the nineties,
and the car just in blaze the car
full and great many women aboard.
Just back of me was nice looking
young woman, dressed in deep mourn
ing, and she held baby in her arms,
wee, wee thing, and that child was
wailing pitiful, and the young woman
was crying. 1t was just a mite of a
child, puny-lOoking, and L should
Judge barely six weeks old. Back of
her sat Stebbins, looking as cross and
surly as a bear with sore head, ap-
parently annoyed by the cries of that
baby. The wOman's back being turn
ed to Hiram he couldn't see she was
crying. Off started the train, and the
dust and cinders sifted through in
showers. Most everybody seemed
cross, and Hiram uncOmmOnly so.
There was no smoker on the train, and
we had to stay in that car. That ba
by's crying bothered me, as it did ev-
erybOdy else. Turning around, [ saw
the young woman take nursing bot
tie out of a basket, then a small earth
enware jug, and she uncOrked it. 1t
was full of milk, and she began to fill
the nursing bottle. A drop of milk
fell on her hand, and she tasted it,
then looked very much distressed. She
put back the nursing bottle and the
jug in the basket again, and didn't
feed the baby.
"What on earth shall do?" | heard
her say. 'The milk is as sour as vine
gar and will kill the child,' and she
began to cry again, not loud like the
baby, but the tears just streamed down
her pale cheeks. Then Hiram B. Steb-
bins just shook himself up, and leaned
forward and said to the young woman,
kind of cross like:
"YOur infant, ma'am."
"Oh, no, sir. 1t was my poor sis
ter's, and she died week agO-died
of a broken heart, because her hus-
band, this little baby's father was kill
ed on the railroad a few days before
baby was born. It's delicate child,
and half starved, and the hot weather
has turned the milk sour. What am
to doq l am trying to carry the poor
little child some hundred miles further
on to my mother, and if 1 can't feed it I
it will die before l get to the end of
my journey, it's so feeble now Then
she sobbed afresh, and the baby Sob
bed, too.
"Hiram B. Stebbins didn't say any
thing for fully a minute, then he got
up and came to me, and said he, Fam
lily manP l told him 1 wasn't Then
he sat down and fidgeted then he got
up suddenly, looked around him, and
went into the next car, and then
through the whole train. By and by
he came back, and said he: Not
darned one on the train
"'NOt what = inquired.
"A woman Nursing her baby. Gen
orally they are ever SO plenty, just
when you don't want 'em.'
"'And you would have asked
strange woman you never saw before
that child?' / asked,
"'Why should not p said Ste bbins
simply.
"Then the conductor came, and Bill
went for him at once. when does
this train stOp-the first place, meant
asked Stebbins.
"'Thirty eight miles from here
"'What kind of a place y asked
amy refreshments p
"'None, not a bar even. Wood and
water
"'No chance of milk 4
Nary chance
"'Any milk cans on this train q
"'NOt one.'
But there's baby on board this
rain that wants milk
This amt no baby nor milk train,
IS knows of said that conductor in
/,
"'You're a blasted heather, any II